Last Modified: Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 7:34 p.m.

The report, scheduled to come out Wednesday, is likely to include ways to improve travel and academic support for the university's student-athletes or supplement programs with assistant coaches. They'll likely see ways to bolster athletic training. Funding for some of these improvements is already in place, provided by a $1.2 million increase in the athletics fee funneled to the department in the 2013-14 academic year.

Suggestions could also be made regarding other ways that money should be spent, or how UNCW should tackle long overdue facilities upgrades, which require capital planning projects and contributions from donors with deep pockets.

The pressing question, however, is: will the committee recommend UNCW cut one or more of its existing athletic programs to save money and give the others a better chance to be competitive? It's never happened at the university but has become common practice at similar-size universities in the last decade.

Committee's task

In February, Miller appointed the 19-person Intercollegiate Athletics Review Committee, drawing professors and leaders from departments across campus. They met with the university's head coaches over the last three months. He asked the committee to "examine the sustainability and vitality of each of our 19 sports programs in comparison with strategic initiatives, fiscal capability, community support and national competitiveness."

Their task was to identify the optimal sports portfolio at UNCW. In this time of budget cuts and strained fundraising, the chancellor is intent on spending each dollar efficiently and directing it toward the programs that can best make their mark on the conference, regional and national level.

Despite an increase of nearly $4 million over the last eight years, UNCW still has the lowest overall athletic department budget ($11.5 million) in the nine-team Colonial Athletic Association. As one of the southernmost members in a conference that spans from Charleston, S.C., to Boston, UNCW spends 10 percent of its budget on travel costs to cover flights, bus rentals, lodging and meals.

The committee's recommendations are just that, nothing more. Miller, athletic director Jimmy Bass and the university's Board of Trustees will review the report and make final decisions on the future of the department, both in size and efficient operation.

As it pertains to the number of sports in which UNCW competes at the Division I level going forward, the committee has three choices: eliminate sports programs, eliminate existing programs and add new ones, or the status quo.

Three options remain

To maintain Division I status, the NCAA requires a non-football playing university to compete in at least 14 sports, and UNCW's total of 19 is two higher than the median number for a non-football school. In the last six years, five fellow CAA members cut at least one sport, allowing them to concentrate more funding on their remaining sports.

Any savings would help at UNCW, whose department is designed to break even each year but has lost $1.4 million over the last three years, according to documents the university provided to the NCAA.

Of course, eliminating any sport would have to be done in accordance with Title IX gender equity law.

The committee could also recommend UNCW eliminate teams which haven't shown an ability to be competitive within the conference, while also adding a program, such as lacrosse, that could not only generate higher revenue but also support from the community.

But that seems like an ambitious endeavor at this point for a department struggling to operate in an efficient financial manner.

Finally, there's the status quo. Without question, this is the least painful and controversial decision of the three options.

Opting to eliminate sports can be messy, producing emotional reactions from the coaches, athletes and parents of athletes whose programs are affected. Lawsuits and threats of lawsuits could occur. CAA member Towson announced last fall that it was dropping baseball and men's soccer, triggering an outcry from parents and players and an onslaught of negative attention from local media. The decision to drop baseball will be revisited.

Just across the South Carolina line, Coastal Carolina announced two weeks ago that it planned to cut track & field and cross country programs to save the athletic department $250,000 annually. Yet, when it came to a vote Friday, the board opted to spare those programs.

What the committee decides and how the chancellor acts will shape the size and vision of UNCW athletics for years to come.

<p>Three months ago, <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic71"><b>UNCW</b></a> chancellor Gary Miller assigned a committee to review the school's athletic department.</p><p>Next week, that group makes its recommendations.</p><p>The report, scheduled to come out Wednesday, is likely to include ways to improve travel and academic support for the university's student-athletes or supplement programs with assistant coaches. They'll likely see ways to bolster athletic training. Funding for some of these improvements is already in place, provided by a $1.2 million increase in the athletics fee funneled to the department in the 2013-14 academic year.</p><p>Suggestions could also be made regarding other ways that money should be spent, or how UNCW should tackle long overdue facilities upgrades, which require capital planning projects and contributions from donors with deep pockets.</p><p>The pressing question, however, is: will the committee recommend UNCW cut one or more of its existing athletic programs to save money and give the others a better chance to be competitive? It's never happened at the university but has become common practice at similar-size universities in the last decade.</p><h3>Committee's task</h3>
<p>In February, Miller appointed the 19-person Intercollegiate Athletics Review Committee, drawing professors and leaders from departments across campus. They met with the university's head coaches over the last three months. He asked the committee to "examine the sustainability and vitality of each of our 19 sports programs in comparison with strategic initiatives, fiscal capability, community support and national competitiveness."</p><p>Their task was to identify the optimal sports portfolio at <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic71"><b>UNCW</b></a>. In this time of budget cuts and strained fundraising, the chancellor is intent on spending each dollar efficiently and directing it toward the programs that can best make their mark on the conference, regional and national level.</p><p>Despite an increase of nearly $4 million over the last eight years, UNCW still has the lowest overall athletic department budget ($11.5 million) in the nine-team Colonial Athletic Association. As one of the southernmost members in a conference that spans from Charleston, S.C., to Boston, UNCW spends 10 percent of its budget on travel costs to cover flights, bus rentals, lodging and meals.</p><p>The committee's recommendations are just that, nothing more. Miller, athletic director Jimmy Bass and the university's Board of Trustees will review the report and make final decisions on the future of the department, both in size and efficient operation.</p><p>As it pertains to the number of sports in which UNCW competes at the Division I level going forward, the committee has three choices: eliminate sports programs, eliminate existing programs and add new ones, or the status quo.</p><h3>Three options remain</h3>
<p>To maintain Division I status, the NCAA requires a non-football playing university to compete in at least 14 sports, and <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic71"><b>UNCW</b></a>'s total of 19 is two higher than the median number for a non-football school. In the last six years, five fellow CAA members cut at least one sport, allowing them to concentrate more funding on their remaining sports.</p><p>Any savings would help at UNCW, whose department is designed to break even each year but has lost $1.4 million over the last three years, according to documents the university provided to the NCAA.</p><p>Of course, eliminating any sport would have to be done in accordance with <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/sports33"><b>Title IX</b></a> gender equity law.</p><p>The committee could also recommend UNCW eliminate teams which haven't shown an ability to be competitive within the conference, while also adding a program, such as lacrosse, that could not only generate higher revenue but also support from the community.</p><p>But that seems like an ambitious endeavor at this point for a department struggling to operate in an efficient financial manner.</p><p>Finally, there's the status quo. Without question, this is the least painful and controversial decision of the three options.</p><p>Opting to eliminate sports can be messy, producing emotional reactions from the coaches, athletes and parents of athletes whose programs are affected. Lawsuits and threats of lawsuits could occur. CAA member Towson announced last fall that it was dropping baseball and men's soccer, triggering an outcry from parents and players and an onslaught of negative attention from local media. The decision to drop baseball will be revisited.</p><p>Just across the South Carolina line, Coastal Carolina announced two weeks ago that it planned to cut track & field and cross country programs to save the athletic department $250,000 annually. Yet, when it came to a vote Friday, the board opted to spare those programs.</p><p>What the committee decides and how the chancellor acts will shape the size and vision of UNCW athletics for years to come.</p>